Work-related stress in nursing: Controlling the risk to health

Transcription

1 Work-related stress in nursing: Controlling the risk to health Professor Tom Cox and Dr. Amanda Griffiths Center for Organizational Health and Development University of Nottingham with Professor Sue Cox Center for Hazard and Risk Management Loughborough University of Technology Note: Working Papers are preliminary documents circulated in a limited number of copies solely to stimulate discussion and critical comment. International Labour Office Geneva

2 Copyright International Labour Organization 1996 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Forrightsof reproduction or translation, application should be made to the ILO Publications Bureau (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered in the United Kingdom with the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE (Fax: ), in the United States with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA (Fax: ), or in other countries with associated Reproduction Rights Organizations, may make photocopies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. ISBN X First published 1996 The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. ILO publications can be obtained through major booksellers or ILO local offices in many countries, or direct from ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. Catalogues or lists of new publications are available free of charge from the above address. Printed by the International Labour Office. Geneva, Switzerland

4 V Preface Occupational stress can no longer be considered an occasional, personal problem to be remedied with palliatives. It is becoming an increasingly global phenomenon, affecting all categories of workers, all workplaces and all countries. This trend coupled with its rising cost to the individual, to industry and to society as a whole has greatly heightened awareness of the need for effective and innovative ways of tackling stress. Stress prevention at the workplace has proved particularly effective in combating stress, by attacking its roots and causes, rather than merely treating its effects. In line with such an approach, this series of working papers is aimed at providing concrete advice on how to prevent stress in specific occupations particularly exposed to stress. For each occupation considered, the paper indicates a number of preventive measures targeted to the elimination of the causes of stress, rather than the treatment of its effects, and how these measures can become an integral part of the necessary organizational development of a sound enterprise and eventually pay for themselves. The series includes the following working papers: Dr. V.J. Sutherland and Professor C.L. Cooper, University of Manchester, United Kingdom Stress prevention in the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry; Professor G. Costa, University of Verona, Italy Occupational stress and stress prevention in air traffic control Professor T. Cox and Dr. A. Griffiths, Nottingham University, United Kingdom Professor S. Cox, Loughborough University of Technology, United Kingdom Professor M.A.J. Kompier, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands Occupational stress and stress prevention for bus drivers Dr. S. Kvanstrom, Asea Brown Boveri, Sweden Stress prevention for blue-collar workers in assembly-line production As the series is intended to stimulate action at enterprise level, its primary audience will consist of managers, supervisors, workers, workers' representatives and engineers who have a concrete interest in introducing anti-stress programmes within their enterprise and an open approach to improvements and change. The series is also directed at policy-makers, as well as government officials and workers' and employers' organizations with a direct interest in this area.

5 Introduction There is a growing need for reasonable and practicable guidance in relation to the management of work-related stress and health. To be effective, such guidance must both reflect a scientifically valid approach to stress and stress management, and be tailored to the specific needs and context implied in dealing with particular work organizations and groups. This paper focuses on the management of work-related stress in hospital-based nursing. It is written as an aid to both education and practical action. It is a requirement of most European health and safety legislation that those employed in any form of work are made aware of its hazards and how exposure to those hazards might be best managed. Part 1 of this paper provides an educational introduction to the hazards of nursing, work-related stress and the notion of the control cycle as an approach to stress management. It is also a requirement of most European health and safety legislation that appropriate and satisfactory risk assessments are carried within organizations, health-care organizations included, and acted on as necessary. Part 2 of this paper provides the framework for such assessments and subsequent action in relation to work-related stress and nursing. Here it has been written as much as a development aid as a prescription for action. It is suggested that each hospital wishing to use the approach described here first establishes a "risk assessment /risk management" team that studies and discusses the approach in some detail. It should then attempt a pilot assessment/management project and reflect not only on its results but also on the processes involved in their implementation. The risk assessment/risk management team may then wish to modify those processes before using them again. They may wish to treat the whole initiative as a development cycle crafting, tailoring and fine-tuning the processes involved to best fit and serve their local context. Different groups will be involved in different stages in the overall process. All those involved with nursing activities should be educated in relation to the hazards of the work, and risk assessment/risk management. Nurse supervisors and nurse representatives and hospital management, both general and functional, also need to be involved in risk assessment and risk management, but in different ways at different times. This differential involvement is made clear in the paper. Finally, the paper is focused on hospital-based nurses, but does not further distinguish between different types of hospital-based nurse. The evidence is that this is not necessary, particularly given the degree of flexibility written into the paper in relation to tailoring and fine-tuning the processes to best fit the local context. The ideas and experience distilled in this paper come from three sources all of which are gratefully acknowledged: the research conducted by Tom Cox and Amanda Griffiths through the Centre for Organizational Health and Development, Department of Psychology, University of Nottingham; the research and training conducted by Sue Cox through the Centre for Hazard and Risk Management at Loughborough University of Technology; and the consultancy carried out by all three through Maxwell & Cox Associates (Nottingham and Sutton Coldfield). The authors wish to thank their colleagues for their help and support.

6 3 Part 1. Stress in nursing 1.1. Background Over the past two decades, there has been a growing belief that the experience of stress at work has undesirable effects, both on the health and safety of workers and on the health and effectiveness of their organizations. This belief has been reflected not only in public and media interest, but also in increasing concern voiced by the trades unions and by scientific and professional organizations, including the International Labour Office. 1 Particular concern has been expressed for the effects of stress on health-care professionals and, in particular, on nurses. In 1987, in the first number of the international quarterly Work and Stress, Dewe, 2 referring to Moreton-Cooper, 3 wrote that: "Ifyou wanted to create the optimum environment for the manufacture of stress, many of the factors you would include would be clearly recognized by nursing staff as events which they encounter in their daily routine. These include an enclosed atmosphere, time pressures, excessive noise or undue quiet, sudden swings from intense to mundane tasks, no second chance, unpleasant sights and sounds, and standing for long hours ". He concluded that nursing is, by its very nature, a "stressful" profession. In a similar vein, Hingley 4 observed that: "Everyday the nurse confronts stark suffering, grief and death as few other people do. Many nursing tasks are mundane and unrewarding. Many are, by normal standards, distasteful and disgusting. Others are often degrading; some are simply frightening". It is hardly surprising that nurses, confronted by such events and tasks, have been reported to experience high levels of stress, and their difficulties appear to be further exacerbated by a range of organizational issues increasingly recognized as being instrumental in the stress process. The responsibility of hospital management for the health of their nursing staff is set within a framework of national and international law, which is itself largely based on the concept of the 1 ILO: Psychosocial factors at work: Recognition and control, Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 56 (Geneva, 1986). 2 P. Dewe: "New Zealand ministers of religion: Sources of stress at work", in Wrk and Stress, No. 1, 1987, pp A. Moreton-Cooper: "The end of the rope", in Nursing Mirror, No. 159, 1984, pp P. Hingley: "The humane face of nursing", in Nursing Mirror, No. 159, 1984, pp

7 4 control cycle 5 and the process of risk management. 6 Such a framework has been made explicit in the European Union's Framework Directive 89/391/EEC. 7 Although much of this framework focuses on the direct effects of the more tangible hazards of work, it has been strongly argued that it can be extended to encompass psycho-social and organizational hazards, stress and stress management Stress The experience of stress represents a psychological state. It can result from exposure, or threat of exposure, both to the more tangible workplace hazards and to the psycho-social hazards of work. The experience of stress is one important outcome of exposure to the hazards of work and to hazardous situations. Those hazards of work which are associated with the experience of stress are often termed stressors. Applied directly to nursing, contemporary theories of stress suggest that a situation which is typically experienced as stressful is perceived to involve (1) work demands which are threatening or which are not well matched to the knowledge, skills and ability to cope of the nurses involved, or (2) work which does not fulfil their needs, especially where those nurses (3) have little control over work and (4) receive little support at work or outside of work (see Box l). 9 Box 1. Work situations typically experienced by nurses as stressful 1. Work inxwhich-the demands imposed are threatening and not wellmatchedfto the knowledge, skills and ability to cope of the nurses involved. : 2. Work which'does not meet me needs of the nurses involved. : 3. Situations in which nurses have little control over work. ; 4. Situations in which nurses receive little support at or outside or work. 5 S. Cox and T. Cox: Psychosocial and organizational hazards: Monitoring and control, European Series in Occupational Health No. 5 (Copenhagen, World Health Organization, 1993). 6 S. Cox and R. Tait: Safety, reliability and risk management (London, Butterworth Heinemann, 1991). 7 Commission of the European Community: Framework Directive on the workplace. No. 89/391/EEC (Brussels, 1989). 8 T. Cox: Stress research and stress management: Putting theory to work (Sudbury, HSE Books, 1993); Cox and Cox, op. cit. 9 T. Cox: Stress (London, Macmillan, 1978); T. Cox and A. Griffiths: "The nature and measurement of work stress: Theory and practice", in N. Corlett and J. Wilson (eds.): Evaluation of human work: A practical ergonomics methodology (London, Taylor and Francis, 1994).

8 Work hazards, stress and health A work hazard is an aspect of the work situation, or an event, which carries the potential for harm. Work hazards can be broadly divided into (1) the physical, which include the biomechanical, chemical, microbiological and radiological, and (2) the psycho-social. Psycho-social hazards are those which relate to the interactions among job content, work organization, management systems, environmental and organizational conditions, on the one hand, and workers' competencies and needs, on the other. Those interactions which prove hazardous influence workers' health through their perceptions and experience. 10 Exposure to both types of hazard may threaten psychological and physical health. The evidence suggests that their effects may be mediated by at least two pathways (see Figure 1): first, a direct physico-chemical mechanism, for example, as in the effects of infection with the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) as a contributory factor in AIDS; and second, a psycho-physiological stress-mediated mechanism, for example, as in the effects of perceived loss of control as a possible contributory factor in coronary heart disease. These two mechanisms do not offer alternative explanations of the hazard-health relationship; in most hazardous situations, both operate and interact to varying extents and in various ways. Examples of such interactions may exist in relation to work-related upper limb and back disorders in nurses, where a combination of physical load, stress and muscle tension may contribute to the onset of those problems, or in relation to exposure to organic solvents, which may have a psychological effect on the nurse through their direct effects on the brain, through the unpleasantness of their smell and through fear that such exposure might be harmful." The latter can giveriseto the experience of stress. Acceptance of the basic principle underpinning this argument takes us beyond "equivalence reasoning"; that is, only expressing concern, for the direct physico-chemical actions of the more tangible physical hazards or for the psycho-physiological (stress) actions of psycho-social hazards. It makes the point that stress is an occupational health issue in the broadest sense and not simply a mental health problem. This is an important point. In addition to anxiety over exposure to the more tangible hazards of work, the evidence suggests that certain psycho-social characteristics of work are associated with the experience of stress and, in turn, job dissatisfaction and ill-health. 10 ILO, Psychosocial factors at work, op. cit. 11 L. Levi: Preventing work stress (Reading, Mass., Addison-Wesley, 1981).

9 6 Figure 1. Pathways from hazard to harm Physical hazards Psycho-social and organizational hazards 1 Physico-chemical pathway (direct) i Psycho-physiological pathway (stress mediated) Physical health Psychological health 1.4. Psycho-social hazards and stress in nursing There appear to be nine different psycho-social characteristics of jobs, work environments and organizations which are hazardous for most work groups. They relate to aspects of organizational function and culture, participation/decision latitude, career development, role in organization, job content, workload/workpace, work schedule, interpersonal relationships at work and workhome interface. Under certain conditions, each of these nine characteristics of work has proved stressful and/or harmful to health. For example, the conditions which define the hazardous nature of workload/workpace include quantitative work overload or underload, qualitative work overload or underload, lack of control over workload, high levels of pacing, lack of control over pacing, time pressures, deadlines and sustained urgency in work. Karasek 12 has drawn attention to the possibility that work characteristics may not be simply additive in their effects on health, but that they might combine interactively in relation to such effects. For example, analysing data from Sweden and the United States, he found that workers in jobs perceived to have both low decision latitude and high job demands were particularly likely to report poor health and low satisfaction. Later studies appeared to confirm his theory, although recently questions have been asked about its validity. 12 R.A. Karasek: "Job demands, job decision latitude and mental strain: Implications for job redesign" Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 24, 1979, pp in

10 Most studies on nurses have focused on those employed in hospitals or closely-related healthcare organizations. Of the earlier studies, it is those of Gray-Toft and Anderson which have repeatedly attracted attention. 13 These authors identified seven major sources of stress: Dealing with death and dying. 2. Conflict with physicians. 3. Inadequate preparation to deal with the emotional needs of patients and their families. 4. Lack of staff support. 5. Conflict with other nurses and supervisors. 6. Workload. 7. Uncertainty concerning treatment. A somewhat similar list was compiled, about the same time, by Bailey and his colleagues, 15 which included management difficulties, interpersonal relationships with other nurses and medical staff, issues involving patient care, concerns about technical knowledge and skills, workload and career issues. This profile of problems was also reflected in the work of Leatt and Schneck, which concerned "head nurses". 16 Ivancevich and Smith summarized those aspects of nursing which required significant physical and/or mental effort to complete. 17 They identified three principal sources of such difficulty: work overload, conflict and the working habits of head nurses or supervisors. Dewe reported a study of about 1,800 nurses in 29 hospitals in New Zealand. 18 He reports identifying five "stressor" factors in these data: work overload, difficulties relating to other staff, difficulties involved in nursing the critically ill, concerns over the treatment of patients, and dealing with difficult or hopelessly ill patients. His results were completely consistent with the earlier research. These studies and others are summarized in Table 1. The information presented in Table 1 might be used to provide a framework for the identification of sources of stress in groups of nurses. Together, they summarize potential sources of stress in hospital-based nursing P. Gray-Toft and T.G. Anderson [1981a]: "The nursing stress scale: Development of an instrument", in Journal of Behavioural Assessment, Vol , pp ; P. Gray-Toft and T.G. Anderson [1981b]: "Stress among hospital nursing staff: Its causes and effects", in Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 15A, 1981, pp Gray-Toft and Anderson, "The nursing stress scale", op. cit. 15 J.T. Bailey, S.M. Steffen and J.W. Grout: The stress audit: Identifying the stressors of ICU nursing", in Journal of Nursing Education, Vol. 19, 1980, pp P. Leatt and R. Schneck: "Differences in stress perceived by head nurses across nursing specialities in hospitals", in Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 5, 1980, pp J.M. Ivancevich and S.V. Smith: "Identification and analysis of job difficulty dimensions: An empirical study", in Ergonomics, Vol. 24, 1981, pp Dewe, op. cit.

11 8 Dewe makes two important points about findings such as these. 19 First, as Gray-Toft and Anderson observed, 20 the nursing role is associated with multiple and conflicting demands imposed by nurse supervisors and managers, and by medical and administrative staff. Such a situation appears to lead to work overload and possibly to role conflict. One form of such conflict often mentioned in nursing surveys relates to the conflict inherent in the instrumental and goaloriented demands of "getting the patient better" and those related to providing emotional support and relieving patient stress. Role conflict of this kind may be most obvious when dealing with patients who are critically ill and dying, although perhaps less so when dealing with their families. Second, each of the sources of stress, summarized in Table 1, is itself a complex amalgam of events and situations and treating them naively as uni-dimensional obscures both the real nature of the problem and the pattern of events. For example, dealing with a dying patient is a major concern to nurses, in general, and to critical or intensive care nurses, in particular. 21 However, the death of a patient is just one aspect of a more complex situation, and is almost always surrounded by other issues of patient care. 22 The financial constraints imposed on health-care systems over the last decade or so in most countries have tended to exaggerate the problems faced by nursing staff. 23 This point underlines the need for an in-depth analysis of stressful situations and the interaction between stressors. 19 ibid. 20 Gray-Toft and Anderson, "The nursing stress scale", op. cit. 21 Dewe, op. cit.; D.A. Chiriboga, G. Jenkins and J. Bailey: "Stress and coping among hospice nurses: Test of an analytic model", in Nursing Research, Vol. 32, 1983, pp ; W.D. Gentry and K.R. Parkes: "Psychological stress in an intensive care unit and non-intensive care unit nursing: A review of the last decade", in Heart and Lung, Vol. 11, 1982, pp op. cit. 22 Bailey et al., op. cit.; Gray-Toft and Anderson, "The nursing stress scale", op. cit.; Gentry and Parkes, 23 Dewe, op. cit.

13 Generality of findings Some researchers 24 have asked whether those sources of stress commonly cited in the scientific literature (see Table 1) are similar for all nurses employed in hospitals irrespective of type of ward or nursing speciality. The evidence 25 appears to support the view that, together, factors inherent in the nursing role and in the organizational culture within which the nurse works 26 are as important a determinant of the experience of stress by nurses as the type of nursing pursued. Yu et al. 27 have concluded that stress in nursing reflects the overall complexity of the nurses' role, rather than any particular aspects of their individual tasks. One of the areas of nursing that has attracted particular attention has been critical or intensive care nursing. Reviews of the literature on stress in such nursing tend to support the above conclusions. 28 Stehle concluded that there is no evidence that critical or intensive care nursing is more or less stressful than any other type of nursing. 29 Irrespective of the specialized nursing involved, critical or intensive care nurses appear to be as vulnerable to workload issues, patient conflicts and the difficulties imposed by adequate resources as nurses in other areas. 30 Not all the available studies support this general conclusion. Relatively recent studies 31 conclude that, while different nursing groups report similar levels of stress, the profile of stressors associated with those similar levels differed somewhat between groups. However, the inter-group differences reported in those studies and others are not sufficient to argue for the separate treatment of the various nurse groups which exist in hospitals. Therefore, while strategies for stress management need to be tailored to the generic group, hospital-based nurses, they do not need to be further tailored to distinguish between different types of hospital-based nurse. 24 Gray-Toft and Anderson, "Stress among hospital nursing staff", op. cit.; K.A. Nichols, V. Springford and J. Searle: "An investigation of distress and discontent in various types of nursing", in Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 6, 1981, pp ; D.G. Cross and A. Fallon: "A stressor comparison of four speciality areas", in Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 2, 1989, pp Dewe, op. cit.; L.C. Yu, P.K. Mansfield, J.S. Packard, J. Vicary and W. McCool: "Occupational stress among nurses in hospital setting", in AAOHN Journal, Vol. 37, 1989, pp Nichols et al., op. cit. 27 Yu et al., op. cit. 28 J.L. Stehle: "Critical care nursing stress: The findings revisited", in Nursing Research, Vol. 30, 1981, pp ; Gentry and Parkes, op. cit. 29 Stehle, op. cit. 30 D.G. Cross and A. Fallon: "A stressor comparison of four speciality areas", in Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 2, 1985, pp P. Herschbach: "Work related stress specific to physicians and nurses working with cancer patients", in Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Vol. 10, No , pp ; P. A. Tyler and R.N. Ellison: "Sources of stress and psychological well-being in high dependency nursing", in Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 19, 1994, pp

14 Health effects of stress in nursing Many studies on stress in nursing have attempted to measure, or have speculated on, the effects of such stress on nurses' health and well-being. 32 There appears to be general agreement that the experience of work-related stress generally detracts from the quality of nurses' working lives, increases minor psychiatric morbidity, and may contribute to some forms of physical illness. Such conclusions receive support from available governmental statistics in many countries. For example, in 1993, the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive published a document entitled Self-reported work-related illness. This provided an interesting addendum to the national statistics: a representative national sample of 75,000 adults were asked about the nature of their illnesses and their views on what caused them. Since the survey did not include workers in communal establishments, the extent of such problems experienced by nurses was thought to be under-estimated by up to 7 per cent. Musculoskeletal disorders were the most common cause of ill-health among all respondents (42 per cent of cases), followed by stress and depression (8.1 per cent). Nurses were among those groups who reported significantly raised rates of stress and depression Stress management European legislation and related guidance on health and safety offers a practical framework for managing the relationship between the hazards of work and the harm that they might cause. The legislation outlines a strategy for risk assessment and risk management and the control of hazards, based on the concept of the control cycle. 33 It also provides guidelines for the monitoring and evaluation of such control. This framework provides a good basis for developing strategies for the management of stress in nursing. The continuing theme throughout is the need to adopt a systematic approach. This approach is described in Box 2. Box 2. The control cycle: Risk assessment and risk management in the workplace ; 1. Identification of hazards. ; 2. Assessment of associated risk. ' 3. Implementation of appropriate control strategies. '',""- ; 4. Monitoring of effectiveness of control strategies. 5. Reassessment of risk. i 6. Review of information needs and training needs of workers exposed to hazards. P. Hingley and C.L. Cooper: Stress and the nurse manager (Chichester, John Wiley, 1986). Directive 86/391/EEC, op. cit.

15 12 Steps 1 through 5 describe a cycle of activities which have been designed to ensure the continuous improvement of occupational health and safety at work. This cycle has been termed "the control cycle" 34 and is the "engine" which drives the "risk assessment/risk management" paradigm. 35 It has been argued that, not only is the control cycle approach an effective way of dealing with the more tangible and physical hazards of work, but that it should be extended to cover psycho-social hazards and the experience of stress. 36 A particular account of the control cycle is elaborated in Part 2 in relation to the experience of stress at work by nurses. The control cycle begins with hazard identification. This must be based on a thorough analysis of the work situation, and include consideration of the tasks and people involved, of procedures and work organization, and of the work environment and culture and relevant technology. Research into the nature and effects of a hazard is not the same as assessment of the associated risk, although the two are related. Research studies, for example, which explore psycho-social hazards and the effects of stress in nursing do not usually provide the necessary risk data for use in the control cycle. What is needed is dedicated risk assessment. Risk assessment should both offer an explanation of and quantify the hazard-harm relationship, and these should provide a basis for the logical design of control strategies. Risk assessment leads into risk management and reasonable and practicable steps to reducerisksand protect workers Conclusions Nursing is acknowledged to be stressful work, and there is a need to understand the nature of that problem and to better manage it. Both anxiety about the more tangible hazards of nursing, and exposure to the psycho-social hazards associated with that work can give rise to the experience of stress. In turn, that experience can detrimentally influence job satisfaction, psychological well-being and physical health. Stress in nursing can be best reduced through the application of the control cycle approach and risk assessment/risk management techniques. These are the subject of Part Cox and Cox, op. cit. 35 Cox and Tait, op. cit.; D.G. Barnes: "Times are tough Brother can you paradigm", in Risk Analysis, Vol. 14, 1994, pp Cox and Cox, op. cit.

16 13 Part 2. How to tackle stress 2.1. The control cycle: A practical approach Background The hazards of nursing are those aspects of nurses' work, work environment and organization, or those work-related events which carry the potential for causing harm. Nurses may experience stress in relation to exposure to the psycho-social and organizational hazards of work as well as the more tangible and physical workplace hazards. 37 The notion of risk provides both a link between the concepts of hazard and harm, and also a measure of the likelihood of harm occurring which takes into account the severity of that harm. The control cycle is the systematic process by which hazards are identified, risks analysed and managed, and workers protected. 38 It offers a practical approach to protecting nurses from the experience of work-related stress. This paper discusses the various steps required by the control cycle approach to stress management. This approach is outlined in Box 3. The early steps in this process (1 through 3) represent "risk assessment", while the next three steps (4 through 6) represent "risk management". Together, risk assessment and risk management form two of the critical and inseparable activities in the control cycle process. 39 The processes of risk assessment and risk management are somewhat different in nature. The activities which make up risk assessment and their sequence are the easier to describe in detail and follow a more predictable course in their implementation. Risk management, by contrast, is more difficult to prescribe as a sequence of activities and relies, by its very nature, on the success of supporting negotiation and education within the organization. Therefore this paper can offer more prescriptive and detailed advice in relation to steps 1 to 3 (risk assessment) than it can in relation to steps 4 to 6 (risk management). Case study A case study has been developed to illustrate the risk assessment/risk management exercise. This is presented in a series of boxes at the end of each section. The case material is put together from the work of the three organizations involved in the production of this paper. While there are several accounts in the scientific literature of specific ergonomic and training interventions targeted on nurses, there is no definitive account to date of the application of a complete risk assessment/risk management approach to the control of work-related stress. 37 B. Rogers and P. Travers: "Overview of work related hazards in nursing: Health and safety issues", in Heart and Lung, Vol. 20, 1991, pp ; Cox, Stress research and stress management, op. cit. 38 Cox and Cox, op. cit. 39 Barnes, op. cit

17 14 However, there are some interventions which provide useful and practical insights to elements of the overall process. Reference could be made, for example, to an evaluation study by Jackson. 40 This study is briefly described below. Jackson has reported an organizational intervention for nursing staff in an out-patient facility associated with a university hospital in the United Kingdom. Nurses were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group, where the intervention consisted of the introduction of regular and frequently held staff meetings supported by training for unit supervisors. The purpose of such meetings was to increase participation in decision-making the lack of which was a primary cause of role conflict and role ambiguity. Results indicated that, after six months (but not before), nurses working in units that held frequent staff meetings reported significant decreases in role conflict and role ambiguity, which, in turn, were associated with a reduction in self-reported emotional strain and an increase in job satisfaction. The intervention also had other positive effects, including an increase in nurses' perceptions of their ability to have influence over their work. This study began with an analysis of the nurses' situation, followed by the design and implementation of an intervention and, finally, the evaluation of that intervention. It is the nearest example of the application of the control cycle approach risk assessment followed by risk management. Box 3. The control cycle approach to stress management for nursing Risk assessment 1. Recognition that nurses are experiencing stress through work. 2. Analysis of potentially stressful situations confronting nurses, with the identification of the psycho-social and other hazards involved, the nature of the harm that they might cause, and the possible mechanisms by which the hazards, the experience of stress and the harm are related. 3. Estimation and evaluation of the risk to nurses' health associated with exposure to those hazards through the experience of stress, and the justification of intervening to reduce stress and its effects.. Risk management 4. Design of reasonable and practicable stress management (control) strategies. j 5. Implementation of those strategies. <! 6. Monitoring and evaluation of the effects of those strategies feeding back into a reassessment! of the whole process from steps 1 and 2 forwards. j 40 S.E. Jackson: "Participation in decision-making as a strategy for reducing job-related strain", in Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 68, 1983, pp

18 Risk assessment Step 1. Problem recognition The application of the control cycle approach to stress management for nursing can only begin once a potential problem has been recognized by the nursing group and/or the hospital. The necessary risk assessment cannot begin until there is acceptance that nurses may be experiencing stress through work and that a threat to their health may exist. There are several sources of data which might alert nursing staff and hospital management to potential stress problems: these can be either formal or informal. They are listed in Box 4. Box 4. Sources of information on stress in nursing Formal records, including: Personnel data on riurses''availabilit> for work and, particularly. thai relating to >ickncss absence, internal transfers and staff turnover. Survey information on nurses* Jtlitudci and reactions tn work. - Safety information on accidents and incidents: both formal records and content ofinvestigatory,,.. debriefmg.and follow-up interviews..occupational health data from routine health surveillance or case records. Personnel information on complaints against nursing staff and disciplinary actions. Welfare or occupational health data on nurses seeking counselling or support from employee assistance programmes (EAl'sj. Employee relations data relevant to indu-.irial relation**, including number of strikes, other stoppages and incidents of non-cooperation. Less-formal information, including: Nature of local work climate. Number and types of complaint made by, nursing staff. Discussions of the effects of work on health following a dramatic event or incident; for example, the unexpected death or serious illness of a nursing colleague, their unexpected resignation or a violent public argument.

19 16 Often, awareness of stress at work is first raised by an extraordinary event, such as an unexpected resignation or death or particularly bad annual absenteeism figures. This, in turn, prompts preliminary discussions and a review of other sources of information with the gradual recognition and acceptance that a problem may exist. In reviewing such information, it is useful to make, at least, two sets of comparisons: first, comparison between different groups or areas within the hospital; and, second, between those groups in the hospital and other similar groups elsewhere. Such comparisons, if sensibly made, should help identify possible problem groups or areas. Problem recognition and acceptance are not necessarily logical processes simply based on weighing the available evidence. They are often political in nature and ones which the various stakeholders involved may find threatening. Therefore the processes whereby the problem of stress at work is explored, recognized and accepted have to be managed carefully, but with resolve. Success will depend on influencing key decision-makers and stakeholders. Those prosecuting the case might adopt the tactics set out in Box 5. Box 5. Tactics for influencing decision-makers and stakeholders 1.. Seektolegitimize stress-related issues within the hospital by promoting U ] sensible and constructive discussion through legitimate channels, both forma] and informal. 2.. Accurately target and involve key decision-makers and stakeholders in, mosllaiscussions.,^, '.-;>'..-. " <»i*«" ' - -» * >-»..»... ' **.' *,, " - ' ;.*?#'-.*-* -* ' ' ; '~ "-' ' :' ' c-'-' '-' ' >* ' 3. Exploit multiple channels of influence. 4. Address).issuesi realistically, practically and constructively not emotionally: Do, not personalize issues., 5: peyelopwguments fov action, based on benefits and tailored to needs of Tdiffereli^decision^malcersfeCe.g..explore cost, rather than health benefits', for hospital finance managers). 6. Involve stakeholders: do not take ownership of problems away from those experiencing them orfromthose responsible for them. 7. Educate those involved. At this stage, the action required of the key decision-makers is to initiate the control cycle and conduct a proper risk assessment as thefirststep in managing work-related stress in nursing. Such an assessment might be conducted as a separate exercise or treated as a specific feature of a broader and pre-planned work assessment.

20 There are often two main problems with securing agreement for a risk assessment for stress problems: 1. The threat implied to hospital organizations by this process, which is exacerbated by a lack of understanding of its nature and likely outcomes. 2. The length of time that it will take to complete and the perceived "delay" to dealing with the situation. Both problems (fears) need to be overcome, and this can be achieved by better educating decision-makers on the nature of stress and the control cycle approach. The information presented in Part 1 should prove useful in this respect. 17 Case study 1. Problem recognition and acceptance The General Manager of a major provincial hospital in the United Kingdom had become concerned about the level of absenteeism among particular groups of nurses, particularly those on the medical wards. High absenteeism, in general, was significantly increasing the hospital's operational costs, and the General Manager had decided to address this issue. At the same time, the nurses' union had asked for discussions with management over complaints from its members concerning their workload. Pressure from individual nurses at local meetings had led the union to attempt to initiate such discussions. Nurse supervisors had also been lobbying senior management to take this issue seriously. Nurses' workload had steadily increased since the hospital had opted for "independent" status when a new management structure had also been introduced. An emphasis on cost effectiveness had led to a "rationalization" (and reduction) of nursing staff, while the Ihrough-put of patients, in some specialities, had been increased. There was now pressure on all wards to treat patients more cost effectively with much briefer stays in hospital. Ill-feeling among nurses over the job losses, which were seen as largely causing the increased workload, had led to a detectable decline in morale and a souring of the industrial relations climate in the hospital. Discussions between the union and hospital management focused on workload and absenteeism, and it was suggested that both might relate to nurses' experience of workrelated stress. Advice was taken from various "internal" experts, including the newly appointed Risk Manager and the head of the health psychology department. Both consulted the available organizational statistics and talked to nurse supervisors. They independently suggested that the problems which might be causing nurse stress and absenteeism should be identified and properly assessed. The Risk Manager championed this approach and offered to build it into an on-going risk assessment as a supplementary exercise. This action was agreed by both the General Manager and the union.

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